Alec Baldwin Faces Trial Over “Rust” Shooting Incident

A judge in Los Angeles has decided that Alec Baldwin will stand trial following a civil lawsuit from a crew member over the tragic fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of “Rust” in October 2021. Baldwin was holding a gun that discharged during filming.

The ruling was made over a lawsuit from Serge Svetnoy, a lighting technician present during the incident. Svetnoy has reported significant emotional distress as a result of what he describes as negligence from Baldwin and the production crew.

Although he was not physically harmed, Svetnoy claimed to have felt a rush of air and heard a loud bang from the gunshot.

“Mr. Baldwin is the last line of defense,” asserted John Upton, Svetnoy’s lawyer, during the hearing. “Guns generally do not shoot themselves.”

Upton expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, noting they would see how the case develops from here.

Svetnoy initially sued Baldwin shortly after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. His lawsuit claimed Baldwin should not have been firing a weapon during the scene being filmed that day.

“Simply put, there was no reason for a live bullet to be in that .45 Colt revolver or anywhere on the Rust set, and the existence of a bullet posed a serious threat to all nearby,” he stated in the lawsuit.

“The scene did not require Baldwin to fire the Colt Revolver, which should not have held any live ammunition,” the lawsuit continued.

In January 2023, a year following the incident, New Mexico’s District Attorney and a special prosecutor announced they would charge Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with two counts of involuntary manslaughter related to Hutchins’ death.

By January 2024, Baldwin was indicted for involuntary manslaughter after forensic evidence indicated the trigger was pulled. Baldwin’s legal team attempted to have the charges dismissed before the trial scheduled for July 2024. However, this attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, with the charges dismissed mid-trial due to issues concerning evidence linked to the ammunition.

“The late discovery of this evidence has hindered the fair use of evidence, impacting the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer remarked at that time.

The “Rust” production has contended that the situation should be addressed through the workers’ compensation system. Nevertheless, the judge dismissed that argument, finding that the necessary coverage was not demonstrated at the time of the incident.

Baldwin maintains he was unaware that the firearm was loaded, which raises questions about adherence to safety protocols, and he insists that he did not pull the trigger during the rehearsal that led to the shooting.

Judge Maurice Leiter allowed the lawsuit to proceed, refuting Baldwin’s claims that he and the production team should not be held responsible for the incident.

“A reasonable jury could find that Mr. Baldwin recklessly disregarded the chance that pointing a gun at someone with his finger on the trigger would cause emotional distress,” the judge noted.

The trial is set to commence in May, nearly five years after the shooting, with the judge expressing a desire not to grant further delays.

“I’m a little concerned about this case dragging on when it should be resolved,” Judge Leiter stated.